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I’m probably not telling you anything you don’t know already, but some of the wealthy countries in the world are getting fat. And it’s getting worse. Here are some horrible statistics (I’m going to pick on the United States of America, not because they are the worse country, but because statistics are more easily available).

Here’s a graph of the obesity rates from the last 25 years.

As you can see it is just getting worse and worse. Obesity has doubled from 1990 to 2009. The projection is for this number to hit 50% by 2030 unless something radical is done.

Now why is this? Why has the world become this way? There isn’t one sole reason, but many. Here are some of the main ones.

Ease of getting food

Over the centuries we have become lazy on many fronts. We use to hunt for food. We use to go gather our food. Now we can get as much of it as we want delivered straight to out door. Food is cheap (particularly the bad stuff). Food use to cost 25% of our income back in 1930. Now it is only 10%. So before you would have to ration your food to survive. Now you can afford to eat what you want.

Types of food we are eating

What we eat now is complete garbage. I have already told you about the evils of sugars. We use to eat natural foods. Now everything we eat has had all the good stuff taken out of it and a lot of terrible things added through the manufacturing process (processed food). We have also gradually changed from eating a good hearty home meal to eating out more (see graph above). Restaurants only aim is to make good tasting food. Calorie content isn’t important. Hence you often get great tasting food with a lot of calories and salt.

Less exercise

Remember when as a child you use to go outside and ride your bike for hours, or go shoot hoops with your mates until the sun set. Doesn’t happen anymore. People are inside playing their PlayStation, or texting each other on the phone. Sports participation is down across the country as people now love different things other than running around and getting sweaty.

Surprisingly there are somethings that you would think are the problem, but aren’t. Here’s a couple of those:

Education

Never has information been more readily available to the regular person. The internet is the source of so much good information it’s surprising that the world is going the way it is. Everyone knows that we are getting fatter, eating poorly and exercising less. The problem is, NO ONE CARES! If you walked up to someone eating a McDonald’s cheeseburger and told him it was terrible for him, he would say “I know”.

Dieting

There are so many diets to choose from these days. Now some of them aren’t great for you, but it’s not hard to find a diet that has research to back it up showing you why it is good. There are also countless healthy diet supplements to help you lose that weight. With so much out there to help you, why are we going the way we are? Just make sure you don’t make the mistake I did once and buy a protein powder like Bullnox Androrush thinking it was a diet powder, when it is actually used for body building!

So what do we do? There are no easy answers. I will examine in a later post some of my ideas, but for now I want you to start thinking about what you can do.

Refined sugar is in everything. IN EVERYTHING! And it’s just about the worst thing for you. It’s one of the biggest killers in the world. It might not have the calories of fat, but it is even worse. And our problem is that we seem to think it is essential to give us energy. WRONG. If you look at the ingredients of any energy drink or food it has a ton of sugar in it. Talk about defeating the purpose.

Due to its Effects on Hormones and the Brain, Sugar has Unique Fat-Promoting Effects

Because it Causes Massive Dopamine Release in The Brain, Sugar is Highly Addictive

Sugar is a Leading Contributor to Obesity in Both Children and Adults

It Ain’t The Fat… It’s SUGAR That Raises Your Cholesterol and Gives You Heart Disease

(Go to their website for more details on each of the items and the research behind them)

That just sounds terrifying doesn’t it. I mean this is the stuff that we pump into our bodies like there is no tomorrow. Here’s some more scary information about the British and their eating habits.

Some people even advertise that their product is low fat. Have a look at the ingredients and you will see it’s very high in sugars, which is even worse!

Fortunately there are some great people out there trying to make everyone aware of it (e.g. Dr. Robert Lustig). But they are fighting an uphill battle. The companies that sell it are spending billions on advertising. Refined sugar is cheap. And… well… it tastes good. Really there is only two ways to stop it (or at least control it). Firstly, the government needs to step in. And to an extent they have (I use the term lightly as they haven’t done much), but they need to do a lot more. I suggest writing to your local politician/congressman and asking what they are doing about this problem facing the world.

Secondly you can control it on a personal level (which won’t solve the world’s problems, but at least you will be okay). Here’s some tips:

Not all sugars are bad. Sugars from fruits etc are good for you (in moderation)

Try a diet suppressant. This will help stop the cravings you might have.

Coffee and tea will help you with energy

Craving sugar is often used as a coping mechanism. Try and replace this with exercise or something else fun.

Chew gum instead. This helps with the sugar fix.

Eat good food regularly throughout the day. This stops the cravings.

Well I hope this opened your eyes to Refined Sugar. It is one of the biggest killers in the world, yet ignored.

When I decided to start this website I had no idea what to call it. I came up with a million ideas, but I really couldn’t think of a name. The idea behind the site was getting people active both mentally and physically. I couldn’t think of anything that that covered that satisfactorily.

Then I thought of the term ‘movement’. It was perfect. It covered exactly what I wanted it to. Nothing gets people emotional like a ‘movement’. They change the world on a grander scheme. Now I’m not that egocentric. I know I won’t cause a movement that will change the world. But hopefully it is a start. A start to a better more sustainable future. I thought I would start this blog by giving some of the best ‘movements’ of all time. ‘Movements’ that changed the world…

Civil Rights Movement

Probably the most famous of them all. More than 200,000 people descended on Washington, D.C., on Aug. 28, 1963 and protested for equal rights for African Americans. Led by Martin Luther King Jr.’s, the march went down in history as the most convincing event in the movement that led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Women’s Suffrage

This mid 19th century movement led to the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. This was a vital in the ongoing struggle for woman’s rights. It’s still ongoing, but getting better year by year.

Antiwar Movements

There will be protests against any and every war till the end of time. The most famous of them all was the Vietnam War. It was a very unpopular war and protests sprung up everywhere. While this one wasn’t as successful as one would hope, it led to American politicians realizing that war, as a whole, was not popular.

Gay Rights Movement

In 1969 protests started after a gay bar was shut down by the police solely for the reason it was a gay bar. This was the trigger for large protests around the country over the following years for equal rights for gays and lesbians. Thanks to them (and protests since) gays are coming closer and closer to having equal rights to traditional married couples. A lot of countries around the world and states within America now allow gay marriages and adoptions for same sex couples. It’s only a matter of time before there is equal rights everywhere.

So let’s get this ‘movement’ started. Make a difference, personally and on the grander scheme. Let’s do it!!!!